Militarization of Space Requires Continued International Cooperation

Erin Ogunkeye welcomed Mélusine Lebret, a researcher in the Defence, Security & Justice group at RAND Europe, to discuss the evolving dynamics of space security. Lebret contends that the increasing militarization of the cosmos cannot be neatly categorized by determining whether a satellite serves civilian, military, or “weaponised” functions alone.

According to Lebret, the trend toward militarization does not erase the need for collaborative efforts among nations. Instead, she describes an emerging space-security framework defined by a complex tension: while states are increasingly preparing to compete and potentially engage in conflict within space, they remain fundamentally dependent on one another to maintain the usability of the domain.